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HBO’s new series “The Deuce” is living up to its title: It’s been renewed for a second season



The pickup, announced Monday, comes a day after the show’s second episode pulled in ratings on par with the on-air debut of its first episode. The show delivered 839,000 viewers and a 0.3 rating Sunday night, up slightly from 830,000 and 0.2 for its Sept. 10 premiere.

HBO released the series premiere on demand and on its streaming apps a couple weeks ahead of its linear-channel debut. Including that early viewing and a premiere-night repeat, the first episode pulled in 2.2 million viewers through its premiere night.

“We are thrilled to continue our creative collaboration with master storytellers David Simon and George Pelecanos,” creators of “The Deuce,” HBO Programming president Casey Bloys says in a statement. “Their unique gift for immersing the audience in their dark and edgy worlds brings a brilliant verisimilitude unlike any other. With the remarkably talented Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Franco leading an exceptional cast, we look forward to delving deeper as this captivating story evolves.”

“The Deuce” is set in and around New York City’s Times Square in 1971 and will track the rise of porn culture through the ’70s and ’80s.

Franco plays two roles: bartender Vince Martino and his gambler brother, Frankie. Gyllenhaal plays Candy, a prostitute who will be drawn to the adult-film business.

The cast also includes Dominique Fishback, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Gary Carr, Emily Meade, Natalie Paul and Chris Coy.

Season 1 of “The Deuce” will run for eight episodes. There’s no word yet on an episode count for the second season.